


Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire

by SaphiralovesTolkien



Series: 25 Days Till Christmas Fanfiction Countdown [9]
Category: The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire, Christmas, Frypan should really know by now not to trust Minho with fire, Gen, Original Character(s), being bored leads to destruction, or any of them really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-10
Updated: 2018-12-10
Packaged: 2019-09-15 11:06:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16932123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaphiralovesTolkien/pseuds/SaphiralovesTolkien
Summary: Looking back at it, Frypan really wished he had paid more attention to what the others had asked him and to what his response was. Maybe he could have prevented the destruction of the backyard, and the near burning down of the house...again.





	Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire

**Author's Note:**

> Day 9: Roasting Chestnuts or burning down the house part two, however, you all see it  
> OCs.  
> Don't like, don't read.  
> I don't own anything obvious.  
> Betaed by Grammarly.  
> I don't really know what world they are all living in, but they were in the maze, and now they aren't, but the world outside is normal...I don't know. Think of it like the world wasn't ending and the maze was an experiment that the kids escaped from.   
> I don't know,  
> Enjoy!

> Chestnuts roasting on an open fire  
> Jack Frost nipping at your nose  
> Yule-tide carols being sung by a choir  
> And folks dressed up like Eskimos

“What’s a chestnut?”

That simple question, those three words, set off a string of events that somehow lead to the group of kids attempting to roast a chestnut on an open fire and nearly burning down the house...again.

The day had started simple enough, after the pie fiasco nearly burned down the kitchen, Frypan and Teresa had taken over baking Christmas treats leaving the others to their imaginations. Aurie had idly flipped through tv channels until she settled on one playing Christmas music then tossed the remote up where it landed on the blade of the ceiling fan. Kep rolled his eyes at his twin and her insane ways of keeping the remote out of reach of the others. 

The others, namely Thomas, Minho, and Newt, did not incline to turn to another channel, let alone attempt to get the remote down when only Aurie and Kep could without getting hurt. They were bored. Extremely bored, and when one was extremely bored, one’s imagination tended to latch onto the first thought that promised fun. 

So when Thomas voiced his question, What’s a chestnut?, Minho instantly latched onto the idea and ran with it, “Don’t know, let’s find out!”

He jumped up and turned to the others who were giving him curiously, hopeful looks that he had the response to their boredom.

“How do you suggest we find out what a chestnut is,” asked Kep, slowly getting up due to the weight on his back. 

“The internet?” Suggested Thomas who was looking quite pleased with having brought everyone out of boredom.

“Hell no, last time we tried using it, you lead us down the dark path of cat videos, never again Tommy,” said Newt with a shudder.

“It was only one time,” protested Thomas, “and it’s not like we were on there for very long.”

“We were on there for five hours,” said Aurie expressionlessly, “we skipped breakfast and lunch.”

Thomas didn’t have a good come back for the winged girl. Minho clapped his hands to gain everyone’s attention, “I wasn’t saying we should check the internet seeing as none of us know how to use it except for looking up cat videos and cookie recipes, no. We should go to the one person who would know.”

“The grocer?” Said Kep.

“A book?” Said Aurie.

“A nut farmer,” suggested Newt.

“Santa?”

Newt, Minho, Kep, and Aurie gave Thomas identical disbelieving looks.

“What,” said Thomas defensively, “I thought we were just naming people who would know what a chestnut is.”

“Santa?” Repeated Aurie, “You think Santa would have the answer?”

“It’s more realistic then Newt’s nut farmer!”

“No, it isn’t. Chest _ nut  _ here the nut part?”

Before the two could dissolve into a squabble Minho quickly stepped between them, “What, no, none of those people. I was talking about Frypan.”

“Oh.”

“That makes a little more sense.”

“Yeah.”

“Better than Tommy’s Santa idea.”

“Hey!”

* * *

 

Looking back at it, Frypan really wished he had paid more attention to what the others had asked him and to what his response was. When the group of five delinquents trooped into the kitchen, his first response was to throw a rolling pin at them. Teresa, knowing full well what her partner intended, grabbed the pin before it was used as a projectile. When the five began talking over each other about nuts, Frypan tuned out. He hummed at regular intervals to make it seem like he was paying attention when in reality, he was concentrating on getting the right amount of whipping cream into the scone mix.

When one of them asked about chestnuts, Frypan latched onto the word and gave the five the worst possible idea, “There’s a bag of chestnuts in the pantry we ain’t using, knock yourselves out trying to roast them on an open fire as the song says.”

The five had exchanged excited glances and immediately took up Frypan’s offer, grabbing the bag and heading outside. 

“You’re so generous,” said Teresa with a smile as she kneaded the dough for the scones.

Frypan just grinned back, “Now, what shapes should these scones be?”

* * *

 

It was really a testament to how concentrated Frypan and Teresa were with their baking that they didn’t notice when the fire Minho had started, got out of control. The second the flames got out of hand, Thomas had rushed for the fire extinguisher dragging Kep with him, while the others cleared away anything that could catch on fire. It took a total of five extinguishers, the sprinklers, and a bucket brigade to stop the fire finally. When it was nothing but smoldering grass, the five collapsed to the ground exhausted, who knew attempting to roast chestnuts was so dangerous?

“And this is why Minho shouldn’t be around fire anymore,” said Newt waving a hand at the burned grass. 

“It’s not just my fault this time!” Protested Minho

“Yeah it is,” said Kep, “we told you to wait until we had finished clearing the area of grass and setting up a rock ring.”

“You should have told me that’s what you were doing.”

“How did you not know that’s what we were doing? You’ve been in the maze how long?”

“Not for a year Aurie!”

“So in one year, you’ve managed to forget all your survival skills.”

“In one year you managed to forget your communication skills?”

The five dissolved into arguing and wouldn’t have stopped if Frypan and Teresa hadn’t come outside with a plate of freshly made scones. They stopped and stared at their blackened grass in shock, Frypan face-palmed, why had he given them the idea to try roasting chestnuts?

“Well,” said Teresa gaining the attention of the others, “I take it you didn’t manage to roast a chestnut?”

The five gave her sheepish looks. She shook her head and offered them the plate of scones, “They’re not chestnuts, but I have a feeling that doesn’t matter to you all.”

The five eagerly got up and began taking scones, thanking her and complimenting her baking skills. Teresa rolled her eyes fondly and leaned in close to Frypan, “Next time you decide to suggest fire as a form of entertainment, I would like you to remember this moment and how close they came to nearly burning down the house...again.”

Frypan groaned and closed his eyes; he would have to put extra care into listening to them the next time they came to him with a question. Though knowing them, they would figure out how to start a fire in any scenario. He better put down a reminder to buy more fire extinguishers. 

**Author's Note:**

> Kep and Aurie were experimented on and had wings surgically implanted into their backs to see a human could fly that way.  
> Also, heads up, finals start tomorrow, so the next couple of fics will most likely be short, I'm not really sure, but they will be posted!


End file.
